Dazzling display

Wesley Beeson | The Sanford Herald
A lit snowglobe welcomes guests as they drive down Christmas Lane during the annual Jackson family lights display in Lee County.

SANFORD —

Traveling on Christmas Lane, all one has to do is follow the candy canes to see a dazzling display of thousands upon thousands of lights.

The show on Christmas Lane, located off of White Hill Road, has become a yearly tradition for many Lee County families, including the family behind the lights.

Danny Jackson, of Jackson Bros. BBQ & Produce, and his family have decorated the family's property for local enjoyment for more than a decade. This year, he and his brother, Larry, have been the two main decorators.

"It's a joy," Danny Jackson said. "We feel blessed by this community and want to do this because so many people enjoy it. It touches so many kids' lives."

The tradition began when the Jacksons began to decorate their family property in 1999, and the number of lights grew with each year, Jackson said.

Something new is added each year, and it takes more than four weeks to display all 100,000 lights, Jackson said. Now hundreds of cars drive through the property in the nights leading up to Christmas.

"We try to make it bigger, better and brighter each year," he said, adding that this year, there is a memorial tree in honor of his now late brothers, Leland and Mitchell.

Throughout the year, the community is good to the family store and restaurant, he said, and the light show is a way to thank the area for its support. Originally, Jackson would only tell his friends and customers about the display, but the word spread through social media.

Lowell Hart saw the light display last year and decided to take his friend Mark Scott to view this year's show.

"You never would have know it was here," Hart said. "Someone has gone to a lot of effort and creativity for this display."

Scott agreed and said he wanted to thank the people who put the show together.